第 31 页

The people of Worcester were somewhat surprised at this large

accompaniment of the earl, but thought no harm. The Abbess of St.

Anne's, however, was greatly terrified, as she feared that some evil

design might be intended against her. She was, however, reassured in

the evening by a message brought by a boy, to the effect that succour

would be near, whatsoever happened.

At midnight a sudden uproar was heard in the streets of Worcester.

A party of men fell upon the burgesses guarding the gate of the town,

disarmed them, and took possession of it. At the same time those who had

put up at the hostelry with Sir Rudolph suddenly mounted their horses,

and with a great clatter rode down the streets to the Convent of St.

Anne. Numbers of men on foot also joined, and some sixty in all suddenly

appeared before the great gate of the convent. With a thundering noise

they knocked at the door, and upon the grating being opened Sir Rudolph

himself told the porteress who looked through it, that she was to go at

once to the abbess and order her to surrender the body of the Lady

Margaret to him, in accordance with the order of Prince John; adding,

that if within the space of five minutes the order was not complied with,

he would burst in the gates of the convent and take her for himself. In

another minute a casement opened above, and the abbess herself appeared.

"Rash man," she said to Sir Rudolph, "I warn you against committing the

sin of sacrilege. Neither the orders of Prince John nor of any other

potentate can over-ride the rights of the holy church; and should you

venture to lay the hand of force upon this convent you will be placed

under the anathema of the church, and its spiritual terrors will be

directed against you."

"I am prepared to risk that, holy mother," Sir Rudolph said, with a

laugh. "So long as I am obeying the orders of my prince, I care nought

for those of any foreign potentate, be he pope or be he emperor. Three

minutes of the time I gave you have elapsed, and unless within two more

the Lady Margaret appears at the gate I will batter it down; and you may

think yourself lucky if I do not order my men to set light to it and to

smoke you out of your hole."

The abbess closed the window, and as she did so the long row of casements

in the house of Master Nicholas were opened from top to bottom, and a

volley of sixty clothyard arrows was poured into the group closely

standing round the gate. Many fell, killed outright, and shouts of rage

and pain were heard arising.

Furious at this unexpected attack, Sir Rudolph turned, and commanded

those with him to attack the house whence this volley of missiles had

come. But even while he spoke another flight of arrows, even more deadly

than the last, was poured forth. One of the knights standing by the side

of Sir Rudolph fell, shot through the brain. Very many of the common men,

undefended by harness, fell shot through and through; and an arrow

piercing the joint of the armour of Sir Rudolph, wounded him in the

shoulder. In vain the knight stormed and raged and ordered his men to

advance. The suddenness of the attack seemed to his superstitious

followers a direct answer from heaven to the words of the abbess. Their

number was already seriously lessened, and those who were in case to do

so at once took flight and scattered through the city, making for the

gate, which had already been seized by Sir Rudolph's men.

Finding himself alone with only a few of his knights and principal

men-at-arms remaining, while the storm of arrows continued unabated, Sir

Rudolph was forced to order his men to retreat, with many fierce threats

of the vengeance which he would hereafter take.

CHAPTER XXII.

A DASTARDLY STRATAGEM.

The return of Sir Rudolph's party to Evesham was not unmarked by

incident, for as they passed along the road, from an ambush in a wood

other archers, whose numbers they could not discover, shot hard upon

them, and many fell there who had escaped from the square at Worcester.

When the list was called upon the arrival at the castle, it was found

that no less than thirty of those who had set out were missing, while

many others were grievously wounded.

The noise of the tumult in the square of the convent aroused the whole

town of Worcester. Alarm bells were rung; and the burgesses, hastily

arming themselves, poured into the streets. Directed by the sound, they

made their way to the square, and were astonished at finding it entirely

deserted, save for some twenty men, lying dead or dying in front of the

gate of the convent, pierced with long arrows. They speedily found that

Sir Rudolph and his troop had departed; and further inquiry revealed the

fact that the burgher guard at one of the gates had been overpowered and

were prisoners in the watchroom. These could only say that they were

suddenly seized, all being asleep save the one absolutely on guard. They

knew nothing more than that a few minutes later there was a great clatter

of horsemen and men on foot leaving the city. Unable to find any solution

to this singular circumstance, but satisfied that Sir Rudolph had

departed, and that no more disturbance was likely to arise that night,

the burgesses again betook themselves to their beds, having closed the

gates and placed a strong guard over them, determining next morning to

sift the affair to the bottom.

In the morning the leading burgesses met in council, and finding none who

could give them any information, the mayor and two of the councillors

repaired to the convent, where they asked for an interview with the lady

abbess. Mightily indignant were they at hearing that Sir Rudolph had

attempted to break into the convent, and to carry off a boarder residing

there. But the abbess herself could give them no further news. She said

that after she retired from the window, she heard great shouts and cries,

and that almost immediately afterwards the whole of the party in front

hastily retired.

That Sir Rudolph had been attacked by a party of archers was evident; but

whence they had shot, or how they had come upon the spot at the time, or

whither they had gone, were mysteries that could not be solved. In the

search which the authorities made, however, it was discovered that the

house of the draper, Master Nicholas, was closed. Finding that summonses

to open were unanswered, the door was broken in, and the premises were

found in confusion. No goods of any kind were discovered there, but many

bales filled with dried leaves, bark of trees, and other worthless

matters. Such goods as had been displayed in the window had clearly been

carried away. Searching the house, they found signs that a considerable

number of men had been concealed there, and although not knowing whence

the body of archers could have come, they concluded that those who

defeated the attempt of Sir Rudolph must have been hidden in the draper's

house. The singularity of this incident gave rise to great excitement;

but the indignation against Sir Rudolph was in no way lessened by the

fact that his attempt had been defeated, not by the townsmen themselves,

but by some unknown force.

After much consultation on the part of the council, it was resolved that

a deputation, consisting of the mayor and the five senior councillors,

should resort to London, and there demand from the prince redress for the

injury put upon their town by Sir Rudolph. These worthy merchants betook

themselves to London by easy stages, and upon their arrival there were

kept for some days before they could obtain an interview with King John.

When they appeared before him and commenced telling their story, the

prince fell into sudden rage.

"I have heard of this matter before," he said, "and am mightily angry

with the people of Worcester, inasmuch as they have dared to interfere to

prevent the carrying out of my commands. The Earl of Evesham has written

to me, that thinking to scare the abbess of St. Anne's into a compliance

with the commands which I had laid upon her, and to secure the delivery

of a contumacious ward of the crown, he had pretended to use force,

having, however, no idea of carrying his threats into effect. When, as he

doubted not, the abbess was on the point of yielding up the ward, the

good knight was suddenly set upon by the rascals of the town, who slew

some of his companions and followers, and did grievously ill-treat the

remainder. This," said the prince, "you now pretend was done by a party

of men of whose presence in the town you had no cognizance. Your good

sense must be small, if you think that I should believe such a tale as

this. It is your rascaldom at Worcester which interfered to prevent my

will being carried out, and I have a goodly mind to order the troop of

Sir Charles Everest, which is now marching towards Evesham, to sack the

town, as a punishment for its rebellion. As, however, I am willing to

believe that you and the better class of burgesses were in ignorance of

the doings of the rougher kind, I will extend mercy towards the city, and

will merely inflict a fine of 3000 golden marks upon it."

The mayor attempted humbly to explain and to entreat; but the prince was

seized with a sudden passion, and threatened if he said more he would at

once cast him and his fellows into durance. Therefore, sadly crestfallen

at the result of their mission, the mayor and councillors returned to

Worcester, where their report caused great consternation. This was

heightened by the fact that upon the following day Sir Charles Everest,

with 500 mercenaries of the prince, together with Sir Rudolph and his

following, and several other barons favourable to the cause of the

prince, were heard to be approaching the town.

Worcester was capable of making a stout defence, but seeing that no help

was likely to be forthcoming, and fearing the utter ruin of the town

should it be taken by storm, the council, after sitting many hours in

deliberation, determined to raise the money required to pay the fine

inflicted by the prince. The bolder sort were greatly averse to this

decision, especially as a letter had been received, signed "Cuthbert,

Earl of Evesham," offering, should the townspeople decide to resist the

unjust demands of Prince John, to enter the town with 150 archers to

take part in its defence. With this force, as the more ardent spirits

urged, the defeat of any attempt to carry it by storm would be assured.

But the graver men argued that even if defeated for the first time,

further attempts would be made, and as it was likely that King Richard

would not return for a long time, and that Prince John might become

Sovereign of England, sooner or later the town must be taken, and, in

any case, its trade would for a long time be destroyed, and great

suffering inflicted upon all; therefore, that it was better to pay the

fine now than to risk all these evils, and perhaps the infliction of a

heavier impost upon them.

The abbess was kept informed by friends in the council of the course of

the proceedings. She had in the meantime had another interview with Sir

Cuthbert, and had determined, seeing that Prince John openly supported

the doings of his minion, it would be better to remove the Lady Margaret

to some other place, as no one could say how the affair might terminate;

and with 500 mercenaries at his back, Sir Rudolph would be so completely

master of the city that he would be able in broad daylight, did he

choose, to force the gates of the convent and carry off the king's ward.

Accordingly, two days before the arrival of the force before the walls of

Worcester, Lady Margaret left the convent by a postern gate in the rear,

late in the evening. She was attended by two of the sisters, both of

whom, as well as herself, were dressed as countrywomen. Mules were in

readiness outside the city gates, and here Sir Cuthbert, with an escort

of archers, was ready to attend them. They travelled all night, and

arrived in the morning at a small convent situated five miles from the

city of Hereford. The abbess here was a cousin of the Superior of St.

Anne's, and had already consented to receive Lady Margaret. Leaving her

at the door, and promising that, as far as possible, he would keep watch

over her, and that even in the worst she need never despair, Sir Cuthbert

left her and returned to the forest.

The band there assembled varied considerably in numbers, for provisions

could not be found continually for a large body of men. The forest was

indeed very extensive, and the number of deer therein large. Still, for

the feeding of 150 men many animals are required and other food. The

franklins in the neighbourhood were all hostile to Sir Rudolph, whom they

regarded as a cruel tyrant, and did their utmost in the way of supplies

for those in the forest. Their resources, however, were limited, and it

was found necessary to scatter the force, and for a number of them to

take up their residence in places a short distance away, forty only

remaining permanently on guard.

Sir Rudolph and his friends entered Worcester, and there received with

great hauteur the apologies of the mayor and council, and the assurance

that the townspeople were in nowise concerned in the attack made upon

him. To this he pretended disbelief. The fine demanded was paid, the

principal portion in gold, the rest in bills signed by the leading

merchants of the place; for after every effort it had been found

impossible to collect such a sum within the city.

The day after he arrived, he again renewed his demand to the abbess for

the surrender of the Lady Margaret; this time, however, coming to her

attended only by two squires, and by a pursuivant bearing the king's

order for the delivery of the damsel. The abbess met him at the gate,

and informed him that the Lady Margaret was no longer in her charge.

"Finding," she said, in a fearless tone, "that the holy walls of this

convent were insufficient to restrain lawless men, and fearing that these

might be tempted to acts of sacrilege, which might bring down upon them

the wrath of the church and the destruction of their souls, I have sent